An aerial view showing the town half-submerged in floodwaters following landslides triggered by heavy rain in Khagrachari in this still frame taken from video on Tuesday. — Reuters photo
Heavy monsoon rain in the past two days, which jolted Chittagong region triggering landslides that killed about 150 people, also disrupted business causing a loss of over Tk 100 crore in the port city, business leaders said.
Rain-triggered waterlogging caused havoc at the port city’s main business hubs Khatunganj and Chaktai damaging essential commodities inside the warehouses, they added.
‘Our trade was badly affected by heavy downpour amid waterlogging for the past two days causing a loss of over Tk 100 crore … Business transactions were mostly disrupted at Khatunganj and Chaktai besides other areas of the city,’ said Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Mahbubul Alam.
‘Even Khatunganj and Chaktai alone faced a financial loss of about Tk 70 crore,’ he added.
‘Chittagong city has turned into a city of waterlogging … Rain water entered many warehouses and shopping arcades at places, including Khatunganj, Chaktai and Agrabad access road,’ he said.
‘Whenever, there is rainfall, it triggers waterlogging,’ he said, adding, ‘We don’t know when we will get relief from the menace of this waterlogging, the burning issue of Chittagong.’
Mahbubul, also the Port Users Forum convener, informed that the heavy downpour caused dislocation in transport and shipment of cargo as cargo handling operations and delivery of goods at Chittagong port were hampered during the calamity.
Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association chairman Nurul Qayum Khan said that the heavy monsoon rain for the past two days created a backlog of work as the inland container depots faced disruption in the operational activities and transport of containers loaded with import and export cargo to and from Chittagong port.
‘This backlog will have a chain effect in all sectors of trade and business besides causing huge financial loss and we have very little time to recover before eid festival,’ he said.
‘We suffered a lot for Maheskhal canal here,’ he added.
He claimed that 80 per cent of the total containers routed through Chittagong port were handled by the private inland container depots.
Chittagong port officials said that cargo handling works inside the jetties and outer anchorage were hampered due to heavy downpour while the delivery of goods to and from port was disrupted.
Khatunganj Traders Association general secretary Syed Sagir Ahmed said that all business activities came to a halt at Khatunganj and Chaktai during the rain-triggered waterlogging for the past two days.
‘We are the worst sufferers here as rain water entered many of our warehouses, and shops and our financial loss due to this calamity may cross Tk 70 crore,’ he said.
‘Though rain water has receded, it will take time to restore normal business here,’ he added.
Source: New Age
